If you’re a fan of racing, particularly McLaren and a fan of VR, then pay attention, this firmly targeted at you. The two companies have teamed up to create a unique edition of the Vive, known as the VIVE Pro McLaren Limited Edition headset.

The headset itself features the distinctive orange from McLaren’s F1 cars this season, but it’s perhaps the software that accompanies the headset that is the real reason you’ll buy one.

Owners will get a new ‘McLaren Garage VR’ experience”. Vive Studios in cooperation with McLaren have created a custom version of the popular racing sim, ‘RFactor 2’.

RFactor 2 McLaren Edition VR racing was designed to operate without any additional driving accessories, that means you don’t need a racing sim, wheels, pedals setup to enjoy it.

The McLaren Garage VR experience is a multi-player simulation game where players can be part of the McLaren pit crew, learning how to complete tire adjustments just like crews do in a race. The experience includes the ‘Pitstop Challenge’, a multiplayer competitive game that allows users to explore McLaren’s latest pit garage in room scale, learn to change a car tire, and take other players on a timed tire change challenge.

These special edition experiences are available exclusively on VIVEPORT, where current Vive owners can create a free subscription today to access these titles for free.

The partnership between HTC Vive and McLaren is also offering customers the most immersive McLaren Racing and track experience from the comfort of their own home through VR.

“Grand Prix auto racing attracts over 500 million fans globally, and we’re excited to partner with McLaren to bring a unique perspective to race fans through VR.

Through our collaboration, we’re combining our best-in-class VR headset with their long heritage of racing expertise to create the most immersive experience for fans across the globe. This is a chance for customers to go beyond being a spectator and feel the excitement of being a McLaren driver or pit crew right from their living rooms.”

Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC.

“It’s been brilliant to tap into HTC’s technology and work together closely to create this top of the range headset and VR experience, so fans can feel like they are in the heart of the action, at a racetrack with the McLaren Racing team.

We think this limited edition Vive Pro headset is hugely exciting for both racing and VR fans alike.”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing

“VR is an incredibly exciting technology that brings fans closer to racing than ever before. The realistic experience provided by the VIVE Pro McLaren Limited Edition headset can be enjoyed by everyone from casual gamers to professional drivers.”

Lando Norris, McLaren Racing driver.

The Vive Pro McLaren Limited Edition headset will also include a free six-month subscription on VIVEPORT, where users can exclusively download the McLaren Garage VR experience and customized RFactor2 McLaren Edition racing game..

Additionally, it is the official VR device for the McLaren Shadow Project. The finals of the competition will take place at the McLaren Technology Centre on January 14-17, 2019, and all finalists will train and compete using the Vive Pro VR headset.

The VIVE Pro McLaren Limited Edition headset is available now in select global markets (including Australia) and on the HTC Vive e-commerce store (www.vive.com/McLaren) at a retail price of AUD $2,499.

While that price is certainly a premium over the standard HTC Vive of around A$800, you need to remember you’re getting a custom version of VR software and racing sim, Rfactor 2 included in that price.

Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis.

This is a great virtual reality helmet. The company HTC produces the best helmets of virtual reality. But $ 2499 is a very high price … In addition, this virtual reality helmet needs to be connected to a powerful PC. Therefore, if you have an old or not powerful PC, you will need to buy a new one. The cost of such a purchase may be high. Therefore, special editions are suitable for true fans of racing and virtual reality helmets from the company HTC. For a regular user, a “normal” HTC Vive virtual reality helmet will suffice to play quality VR games.

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